Quiet Man statue to be unveiled

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Quiet Man statue to be unveiled

Ciara Galvin

A statue of Maureen O’Hara and John Wayne’s characters from the film ‘The Quiet Man’ will be unveiled in the village of Cong next Sunday, October 8 next. The centerpiece of the Cong Festival events, the statue of Mary Kate Danaher and Séan Thornton cast in bronze has been installed near Cong Abbey in the village and will be unveiled by Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, Michael Ring. Partly funded by South West Mayo Development Company, the statue is ‘a fitting tribute to the people who took part in the making of ‘The Quiet Man’’, according to Cong Festival Chairman Patrick Luskin. The Chairman said the statue, created by Swinford Sculptor Mark Rode, will attract thousands of tourists to the village. In a gesture of goodwill, the sculptor will present a maquette (replica) of the statue to the people of Cong. The maquette is 18 inches in height by 12 inches wide and will be one of only eight which have been created using the same pour used to create the statue itself. Mr Luskin revealed to The Mayo News that a silent auction will take place for another replica statue, with the money going towards the cost of maintaining the village statue. A bid of €5,000 has already been received for one of the limited edition maquettes. “At the moment there will just be one auctioned but there will only ever be eight made,” explained Mr Luskin.The successful bidder will receive a certificate of authentication signed by the sculptor and Mr Luskin. A letter from Maureen O’Hara will be read out at the unveiling, along with a message from the Wayne family and Paramount Pictures. For more information on making a bid for one of the replicas visit www.congfestival.com or contact Patrick on 087 994 6380.